I Found my New Favorite Online English Dictionary!

Summary

In this video, the presenter explores four major English dictionaries: The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, The Collins English Dictionary, The Macmillan English Dictionary, and The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. They evaluate the design, search functionality, and features, highlighting the pros and cons of each. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary stands out for its user-friendly design and comprehensive information, including a unique 'Recent Examples on the Web' feature. However, the presenter also appreciates the text checker tool in Oxford and the pronunciation videos in Collins. The video concludes with a personal preference for Merriam-Webster but encourages viewers to share their thoughts on the best dictionary for English learners.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker compared four major English dictionaries: The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, The Collins English Dictionary, The Macmillan English Dictionary, and The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
• 🎨 All dictionaries have modern designs, but The Collins English Dictionary's design was criticized for being chaotic and its navigation panel covering part of the screen.
• 🔍 The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary provides clear and easy-to-understand definitions, suitable for English learners, and highlights common and important words for beginners.
• 📖 Merriam-Webster's definitions are more challenging and aimed at advanced learners or native speakers, offering additional features like 'Recent Examples on the Web' and a 'Thesaurus'.
• 🌟 Merriam-Webster stands out for its large and clear fonts, making it user-friendly for those with visual impairments, and its sidebar for easy navigation.
• 📈 Macmillan offers a variety of resources including an 'Emoji Dictionary' and 'Infographics', making language learning fun and engaging.
• 💰 Oxford requires payment to access collocations, which the speaker finds disappointing, especially given their frequent use.
• 🔍 Oxford has a 'Text Checker' feature that can analyze text for word levels and provide exercises, which is beneficial for learners.
• 📱 The mobile optimization of the dictionaries is important, with Oxford and Macmillan performing well, while Collins has too many ads and information displayed.
• 📚 The speaker's personal preference is Merriam-Webster for its design and presentation of information, despite some flaws.
• 🗣️ The script encourages viewers to share their thoughts on the dictionaries in the comments, highlighting the subjective nature of choosing a dictionary.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to compare four major monolingual English dictionaries to determine which one might be the best choice for English learners.

Which two dictionaries does the speaker mention using for a decade?

The speaker mentions using The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English and The Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary for a decade.

What are the four dictionaries compared in the video?

The four dictionaries compared in the video are The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, The Collins English Dictionary, The Macmillan English Dictionary, and The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

What aspect of the dictionaries does the speaker first discuss?

The speaker first discusses the overall look and design of the dictionaries.

What is the speaker's opinion about the design of The Collins English Dictionary?

The speaker finds The Collins English Dictionary's design chaotic and messy, with a color scheme that is not appealing.

What feature of Merriam-Webster does the speaker appreciate for its ease of navigation?

The speaker appreciates the sidebar in Merriam-Webster for its ease of navigation through the article.

How does the speaker describe the definitions in Merriam-Webster compared to other dictionaries?

The speaker describes the definitions in Merriam-Webster as more challenging to understand and possibly aimed at more advanced learners and native speakers.

What additional information does Merriam-Webster provide that the speaker finds interesting?

Merriam-Webster provides additional information such as Recent Examples on the Web, word history, phrases containing the word, and separate Medical and Law dictionaries.

What feature of Macmillan does the speaker find particularly useful?

The speaker finds Macmillan's Resources section, which includes tools like Infographics, an Emoji Dictionary, and common errors, particularly useful.

What is the speaker's opinion on the mobile optimization of the dictionaries?

The speaker finds the mobile optimization of Oxford and Macmillan satisfactory, while Merriam-Webster looks really good, but criticizes Collins for too many ads and information not being hidden.

Which dictionary does the speaker ultimately prefer and why?

The speaker ultimately prefers Merriam-Webster for its design and the way it presents information, despite acknowledging some of its flaws.